


straight through til morning

by ohjustpeachy



Series: Tony Stark Bingo Fills [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22493731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohjustpeachy/pseuds/ohjustpeachy
Summary: Tony comes home from a trip to find Bucky in bed on a bad mental health day.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark Bingo Fills [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601260
Comments: 2
Kudos: 141
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	straight through til morning

**Author's Note:**

> For the Tony Stark Bingo square K2: "Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier" and the tumblr prompt: Winteriron with Bucky having a rough time and Tony just being the most kind and considerate and gentlest boyfriend with lots of hugs and blankets.

“Bucky?” Tony’s hushed voice breaks through the suffocating fog of Bucky’s own thoughts, and he lifts his head from the pillow. He’d been in bed nearly all weekend while Tony was away at a conference, feeling worse about this choice with every passing hour, but still unable to lift himself from the bed. He felt heavy and weak and somehow at risk or lifting up, up, and away, all at the same time. Unmoored.

“Hey,” Bucky offers, his voice flat and thin, even to his own ears. He does his best to prop himself up; he should ask Tony about his trip, but even that, greeting his boyfriend, who he’d _missed_ these past few days, feels like too much.

“Hey, yourself,” Tony says, voice soft. He’s seen Bucky like this before; not often, but enough. He’d been terrified the first time, letting Tony in like that, trusting someone else with all the broken pieces of himself. It should send anyone running, really, but Tony had just smiled a little sadly and held his hand, tight and sure, and said he’d written the book on being a mess. He’d let Bucky sit in silence after that, until he was ready to talk.

It still happened, out of nowhere. Memories would claw their way back in, and shut him down, sometimes for days. Because he wasn’t brainwashed anymore, but he couldn’t undo the things he’d done, he knows that, would live with it forever.

Sometimes, like now, that felt impossible to accept.

“Can I sit?” Tony asks now, and Bucky nods, the movement sluggish and slow. Tony sits gingerly, reaching out to thread a hand through Bucky’s hair, and he winces at how greasy and lank he knows it must be at this point.

“Y’can come all the way in here,” Bucky adds. _Please come in. Please stay with me._

Tony nods, then slides himself into the bed, shuffling around until he’s covered in the thick duvet, until Bucky’s head is pillowed on his chest, clutching on tightly to his middle and his arms. Tony feels so solid, like he might just keep Bucky from floating away one more time. Like they might last together through one more bad night, long enough to watch the sunlit morning crack through the darkness.

“What happened, you missed me that much while I was gone, Buckybot?” Tony asks lightly. He’ll never press, Bucky knows, and his throat goes hot and tight at the offering. He doesn’t trust his voice to talk, though, not yet, so he just nods into Tony’s chest, lets the other man hold him tight and close as he squeezes his eyes shut and tries to focus on breathing.

It’s quiet as they lay there, and Bucky isn’t sure what tomorrow will bring, if he’ll feel better or worse or if he’ll ever really be _okay_ again. He knows, deep down, it’ll never be that black and white again. But for right now, Tony’s home, and he’ll listen when Bucky’s ready, and until then they can lay here just like this, in the gray area, until morning.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm omg-just-peachy on tumblr, come say hi!


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